Blues close out Comets' season

PORTLAND — Crater had an idea of what to expect entering Wednesday's Class 6A girls basketball state playoff game against St. Mary's Academy.

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Posted Feb. 28, 2013 at 12:25 AM
Updated Feb 28, 2013 at 12:40 AM

Posted Feb. 28, 2013 at 12:25 AM
Updated Feb 28, 2013 at 12:40 AM

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PORTLAND — Crater had an idea of what to expect entering Wednesday's Class 6A girls basketball state playoff game against St. Mary's Academy.

How to stop it, however, was another matter.

The Blues had five players score in double figures and were never threatened in a 79-47 victory over the Comets, who closed the season with a 7-17 record.

Senior point guard Nae Torregano picked Crater apart for 16 points, while Martina McCowan also chipped in with 16 points.

"(Torregano) is probably as good of a point guard as we've seen in the state from a one-on-one standpoint," said Crater coach JT Thomas. "She has command of the game and has good size and deceptive speed. Probably the best thing about watching her play is she wants to share the ball and make the right pass at the right time.

"We knew she had it and we struggled on how to defend her."

St. Mary's jumped out to an 8-0 lead and upped that advantage to 23-9 after one quarter and 39-15 at the half.

Experience played a key role for the Blues against the young Comets, said Thomas.

"With our youth and inexperience, if anything it favored a team that has been there before," said Thomas. "They have a bunch of veteran players wanting to finish strong on their home floor. And that's what they did."

Crater managed to play even with St. Mary's for much of the second half.

"We knew what to expect from them coming in and we didn't handle it like we'd hoped," said Thomas. "The good part is the kids battled all the way through. Our kids played really inspired in the second half."

"We were able to play a lot of kids tonight," added the coach. "The whole team showed a lot of heart and character."

Junior Becca Heard led the Comets with 14 points, while sophomore Kes Noles grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds. Also for Crater, Bailey Bascom had four steals, Britt Scott and Noles each had three steals and Simone Turituri and Emmie Gavin contributed six rebounds apiece.

Ashley Backen added 16 points, including 12 in the first half, and Pele Gianotti pulled down eight rebounds for the Indians (18-7), who will travel to face Central Catholic in the second round on Saturday.

MARIST 67, ASHLAND 37 — At Eugene, Ashland struggled to make shots in a Class 5A state play-in loss.

The Spartans (11-14), who snapped a five-game losing streak, advance to the 5A state playoffs. The 16-team field will be whittled down to eight on Saturday, when Marist will face an opponent yet to be determined.

Marist opened up a 30-18 halftime lead and increased its cushion to 17 heading into the fourth quarter. There, the Spartans outscored the Grizzlies 18-5 to win going away.

Ashland sophomore guard Georgia Williams finished with a game-high 22 despite fouling out. Only one other Grizzly added more than three points, as Ashland struggled to find balance. Michaela Dunn, a sophomore post, hit two 3-pointers on her way to eight points. Williams also paced the Grizzlies with nine rebounds.